Iran’s new security boss Mohammad Zolghadr: Why his appointment matters

Zolghadr, an ex-IRGC commander, will manage Iran’s security amid external US-Israeli pressures and internal unrest.

Iran on Tuesday appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as the successor to Ali Larijani — who was killed in an air strike last week — as the head of the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).

Chosen for one of the most sensitive posts in Iran’s political system, Zolghadr will navigate a complex security situation, shaped by military pressure from the United States-Israeli war on Iran and domestic challenges.

Described by Al Jazeera correspondent Suheib Alassa as a “heavyweight security figure”, Zolghadr, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander and the secretary of the advisory Expediency Council since 2023, has credentials that place him at the heart of Iran’s security decision-making.

Belonging to the first generation of the IRGC, formed after the 1979 Islamic revolution, Zolghadr fought in the Iran-Iraq war. He has held a series of senior military and security roles, including chief of the IRGC Joint Staff for eight years, and the organisation’s deputy commander-in-chief for another eight years. He then moved on to high-level political and judicial positions.

His selection, Alassa says, reflects Tehran’s need for someone capable of filling the void left by Larijani, long regarded as a deeply experienced political and security figure within the governing system. Replacing him was never likely to be straightforward.